YWCA drops extra security fee for pro-Palestinian group

Hamilton Spectator

A pro-Palestinian group that booked space at the downtown Hamilton YWCA is scheduled to go ahead with a controversial Saturday presentation after the YWCA struck a balance between concerns over free speech and safety.

A Hamilton Jewish group called Never Again had complained to the Y last week after learning that a group called Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East had booked the auditorium at the MacNab Street facility.

Never Again’s Gary Gerofsky said his group of about 100 people was concerned that political discussion there could drift into hateful speech — a prediction the presenters say is unfounded.

By then, CJPME had already started selling $5 tickets to the 7:30 p.m. presentation by author William Parry, who is to speak about his book, Against the Wall: the Art of Resistance in Palestine.

The YWCA facility is home to 65 women, some of them vulnerable, a fact that elevated executive director Denise Doyle’s concerns about safety.

After receiving the complaint, the YWCA proposed to bring in additional security, but as a nonprofit community agency, Doyle said the YWCA could not bear the expense, and told the organizers they would have to pay another $600 on top of the auditorium rental.

Yesterday, she said the YWCA had decided to drop the extra charge after discussions with Hamilton police left her feeling reassured that the security situation could be addressed without imposing an additional expense.

Gerry Fisher of the Hamilton Jewish Federation said the federation believes free speech, as long as it is not hateful, trumps objections to the CJPME’s “demonization” of Israel. He said the federation stands firmly with the YWCA’s decision.

The situation closely parallels one from last month, in which the same pro-Palestinian group moved a presentation from Mohawk College after the school added a security charge to the bill for using a room there.

In that case, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East moved an appearance by Norman Finkelstein, an outspoken critic of Israeli policy, to Centenary United Church in downtown Hamilton, where the event unfolded safely.